Dubai

Head off-road with Dune Buggy Dubai to discover the thrills of the desert. You can find activities to suit whatever level of adventure you crave. The Morning Dune Buggy Safari features an early bird hour-long ride in your own open buggy. If you're looking for more, try the Evening Desert Safari. Here, you'll go dune bashing in a brand new Land Rover. After the drive, you'll sit down for live entertainment consisting of a traditional dance show. Food, beverages and henna painting enhance the experience with sand boarding and camel riding available to keep the excitement going until late at night.

Soar like a bird over one of the most spectacular drop zones in the world with Skydive Dubai. Step out of a plane at an altitude of almost 4,000m and enjoy the rush. To make sure you remember the experience forever, a cameraman documents the fun. The freefall lasts around a minute before your instructor pops the chute and you begin a leisurely five-minute descent with incredible views of Palm Jumeirah and other iconic landmarks. For an alternative view, try the desert drop zone.

Thrill-seekers can get their kicks at sea in Ghantoot (15 minutes out of town), where Dubai’s latest toys are getting hearts racing. Flyboarding, also known as water jet-packing, sees adventure lovers fitted into a small board and strapped to a specially-made backpack that sucks up seawater, before spitting it back out, propelling the rider into the air. If you have never tried it before, no worries. Even beginners will be able to manoeuvre themselves around the marina – just be prepared to make a splash crash-landing the first few attempts.

Have fun on the water and at the same time take in some of Dubai’s famous landmarks with a jet-ski session. Nemo Watersports and Dubai Jetski offer tours that takes in the Burj Al Arab hotel and other sights from the water. Each tour is accompanied by a qualified instructor and you can go as fast or slow as you like, for anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours. The 30-minute tour features Burj Al Arab while an hour-long session takes you onwards to Jumeirah Beach Residences. The deluxe two-hour version includes this, while also circumnavigating the famous Palm Jumeirah and stopping off at Atlantis, The Palm.

Featuring the largest and most diverse number of wildlife species in the UAE, Al Warqa’s Dubai Safari is home to 2,500 animals. Adventurers can encounter monkeys, lions, giraffes, crocodiles and a whole lot more as they explore the park's four themed sections: the Arabian, Asian, African and Safari Village. While its solar-powered driving vehicles and world’s first drive-through crocodile exhibit are impressive feats, the park has big plans in store as it aims to provide a safe haven for 5,000 animals by 2020.

Step away from the city and float 1,200 metres above the desert dunes with a hot air balloon tour. The adventure usually starts at sunrise, followed by an hour-long flight that's worth the early wake-up. Following whichever way the desert breeze blows, you'll get breathtaking views of the rolling red sands, rising sun, grazing gazelles, and majestic Hajar Mountains. With a variety of packages to choose from, you can make it a romantic rendezvous, a corporate celebration, or an unforgettable family fun day.

Experience the thrill of a private flight in Dubai - seeing Dubai Marina or the Dubai desert like never before. Located at the Sky Dive Marina and Sky Dive Desert Campus, Sky Hub offers training courses as well as tandem rides atop a specialised power parachute. Witness the city from a new perspective and get your heart racing with a unique one on one flying experience. The paramotor ride - typically lasting 20 to 30 minutes is completely customisable so you can choose to either sail through the sky for a scenic tour or finish off the flight with some adrenaline pumping spirals and aerobatics.